The Chase's Mark Labbett caught in awkward moment on new dating show

Edinburgh Live

a day ago

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"The Beast" from The Chase, Mark Labbett, experienced an embarrassing moment on Celebs Go Dating when he dozed off during a date. The 58-year-old brainbox, renowned for his sharp intellect and straightforward manner on ITV's hit quiz show, was caught on camera taking a snooze mid-date.
The filming for the latest instalment of the Channel 4 dating programme took place last month, where it was noted that the spark was missing between Mark and his date.
An insider remarked: "Mark was yawning a lot and drifted off briefly. It was a bit of an awkward moment. It's safe to say there wasn't much of a spark between them."
Mark, who previously weighed in at 29st, tied the knot with his second cousin Katie in 2014 but they parted ways after six years. He later found love with TV host Hayley Palmer in 2023, although their relationship lasted only a year, reports the Express.
(Image: Getty Images)
Discussing his time with Hayley, 43, Mark confided to The Sun: "She's a lovely lady and I was very lucky to date her for a year, and as I said: it's me, I got old."
He continued: "There's been no one since Hayley. I'm not saying there won't be another one. But I'm certainly not looking."
Delving into his past romantic life, Mark shared: "I was single, not coincidentally, for a long, long time when I was a 29st maths teacher who knew it was quite hard to attract a partner then. So I'm quite comfortable without a partner."
Mark's spokesperson provided a witty reply when queried about the date: "If his date was as boring as you have suggested, I'm surprised he didn't take a pillow with him!"
(Image: IG)
It comes as new research by Betway has found the best Chaser. As of June 2025, there are six official Chasers: Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan, and Darragh Ennis.
The team analysed factors like accuracy, win rate, and highest target caught, to rank the best Chaser of all time. Financially, Paul Sinha is the Chaser who comes out on top.
Paul 'The Sinnerman' Sinha boasts a 78 per cent win rate across 436 appearances on The Chase. His average target to beat is 19 and holds the highest average Chaser win total, raking in £14,651, making him the most financially successful chaser on the show.
Meanwhile, Mark 'The Beast' Labbett has a 76 per cent win rate over 475 episodes since he started in 2009. Labbett holds the record for the highest average target to beat, at 20, and the highest accuracy in the final chase, answering 83% of questions correctly.
Topping the ranks as the best Chaser on television is Anne 'The Governess' Hegerty. With 467 appearances and a win rate of 79% - the joint highest of any Chaser - it's no surprise that she's regarded as the most formidable opponent.
In the final chase, Hegerty averages 13 correct answers in the 60-second timeframe, with an average target of 19, the second highest among her peers.
Celebs Go Dating declined to comment on the incident.